Olly Alexander, Glyn Fussell and Dani St James on why Trans Mission had to happen now – and the unannounced acts still to come (EXCLUSIVE)

With anti-trans rhetoric growing louder on both sides of the Atlantic, the UK music and LGBTQ+ communities are responding the way they know best – by coming together.

Trans Mission, a major fundraising concert set to take over London’s OVO Arena Wembley on 11 March 2026, brings artists, allies and activists onto one stage in support of trans people across the country.

Organised in collaboration with Mighty Hoopla, the one-night event will raise funds for trans-led charity Not A Phase and legal advocacy organisation the Good Law Project, with a lineup spanning icons and allies including Sugababes, Wolf Alice, Christine and the Queens, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Adam Lambert.

Speaking to Attitude, Olly Alexander, Glyn Fussell and Dani St James reflect on the moment that sparked the idea, the power of visible allyship, and why community matters now more than ever.

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This event has been described as a long time in the making. Was there a specific moment where it shifted from an idea into reality?

Dani:
Yeah, there really was. “A long time in the making” is definitely apt. Glyn said to me probably more than a year ago, “I want to do the biggest fundraiser the world has ever seen,” which is very Glyn Fussell.

What really prompted the collaboration between Glyn, Olly and us was the Supreme Court ruling. Olly went to Glyn and basically said, “I want to do something.” Glyn said, “Well, me and Dani have been talking about this thing,” and it kind of snowballed from there.

After the ruling, people were using that moment to galvanise support. There were open letters coming out from the film industry, so I helped put together an open letter from the music industry. Artists signed to say they supported trans people and the trans community. We had people like Dua Lipa, Charli XCX and Tom Grennan sign it, and we thought, why not get some of those people together and do a fundraiser?

Olly:
Yeah. After the ruling, it felt like people wanted to respond in a meaningful way. I didn’t just want to say something and move on. I wanted to do something tangible.

Beyond fundraising, what do you want a trans person attending the concert – or reading about it – who might feel isolated by the current political climate to take away from this?

Dani:
It is really easy to feel isolated, especially if you live outside one of the more liberal city bubbles in the UK. The voices of the few – which tend to be the anti-trans side – are very loud, very well-funded and very visible. They’re well organised.

When you’re online a lot, it’s really easy to feel like the world hates you. The key thing here was not just the acts and speakers, but putting out the message that we’re with you. We’re all in this together, and we’re going to get through it together. We are the majority. We are not the minority.

Olly:
It can feel like there’s this big tide of anti-queer, especially anti-trans sentiment coming at us from the media, from politics, from all these different corners. But fundamentally, no matter who we are, we want to get along and support each other. Community is really all we have.

There is a lot of love and support out there for trans people, but it can feel really bogged down and under threat by everything Dani just mentioned. This felt like an opportunity to send a really powerful statement, to get the word out about what Not A Phase does and the services it offers, and to come together physically. That part feels really important.

Dani, can you explain how the funds raised will directly change the lives of people supported by Not A Phase?

Dani:
This came at a time where it honestly felt like a lifeline. After the new US administration came in, around November 2024, we started losing a lot of our fundraising through corporate donors and brand partners we’d had in place for years. Everything was getting pulled one by one.

We paused any expansion of our services and focused on protecting what we were already doing. We were just trying to get scaffolding in place around it. Over the past nine to 12 months, that’s what we’ve been able to do.

What this will now allow us to do is refocus our efforts on reaching the people who need us the most, particularly those in regional areas. Not just sticking to those more liberal city bubbles. Our long-term ambition is to reach everyone who needs us most, and funds like this are what make that possible.

It’s an incredible lineup. How did you choose artists who aren’t just great performers, but genuinely understand the mission?

Olly:
We had a really good roster to pull from – people we already knew were willing to support the trans community, just from signing the letter. We reached out to lots of them. With artists, it’s often about availability. There were so many people who wanted to be involved but couldn’t because of scheduling.

Dani:
Also, nobody knows how to pull a favour like Glyn Fussell!

Glyn:
I’m shameless about asking people, basically. I really thought maybe a third of them would come through. What was amazing was that they did – and then those people asked other people. There was real momentum.

It confirmed that people have been wanting to do something, especially allies. A lot of people are desperate to show support but don’t really know how, or don’t feel like they have a platform. If they show it online, they can get absolutely decimated. A lot of the time labels don’t like it either.

Dani:
It also reminds me a lot of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners. This is people external to the trans community saying, “We’re not going to let this happen. We’re going to do something.”

That legacy – of allyship being visible – is what I can see Trans Mission growing into. Merchandise, slogans, visibility, they all raise awareness and allow people to step into conversations wherever they are and share what they’ve learned.

Is Trans Mission intended as a one-off, or could this become something ongoing?

Glyn:
When you have an idea and you start talking to people and they all have the same idea, that’s great, but it’s still just an idea. Now we’re really far into it and, honestly, it’s been a lot – but it’s been amazing.

You end your day thinking, “The community is magic,” and there is a real want for change. Sadly, what’s happening on the far right isn’t going anywhere. With this momentum, it’s up to us to carry it forward. I really do think this is the beginning of many things.

Dani:
It’s not just a UK problem. It’s global. It needs to be fought against ignorance and hate with joy. That’s what we do brilliantly as a community, and we do it globally.

For Attitude readers who can’t make it to London, how can they still get involved with Trans Mission?

Dani:
There are loads of ways. We’re doing collaborations with Loverboy, Charles Jeffrey and Connor Ives. There will be merchandise coming out before the event, with all the money going into the wider fund.

There will also be lots of ways to donate online through Trans Mission socials and the website. After the event, we’ll be fundraising again at Pride. We also have an amazing artist, Patterson Jackson, who will be shooting pop-art portraits backstage. They’ll be sold afterwards, and there will be prints people can buy too.

This event is the foundation. Momentum is the word that keeps coming up. We have to keep this conversation going and keep giving people ways to get involved before, during and after the event. A lot of people can’t come to events or find them overwhelming, so choice really matters.

Merchandise might sound frivolous, but that’s actually how Not A Phase began – with a slogan drawn on a T-shirt. Selling those gave people a way to show allyship and start conversations they otherwise wouldn’t have.

How did you go about choosing artists who aren’t just great performers, but who get the mission?

Dani:
It reminds me a lot of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners. This is people external to the trans community saying, “We’re not going to let this happen. We’re going to do something.”

That legacy – of allyship being visible – is what I can see Trans Mission growing into. Merchandise, slogans, visibility, they all raise awareness and allow people to step into conversations wherever they are and share what they’ve learned.

Olly, you’re going to be performing. What can you tease from your set?

Olly:
I’m really excited because I’m going to perform with Trans Voices. They’re an incredible group of artists and singers. We’ve worked together before, and we’re going to do ‘Shine’ together. I’ll also do a few of the hits.

Glyn:
When you did ‘Shine’ with them at Mighty Hoopla, the crowd went completely silent.

Olly:
They’re unbelievably talented. It’s going to be a really special moment and a lovely reunion.

Finally, is there anything else you want to add?

Glyn:
There will be a second wave of artists announced next week!

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Buy tickets for Trans Mission here.